Everlasting Tears
by Kyrastri
Summary: When the past comes flooding back, how will one cope with such memories? Discontinued.
1. Chapter 1

_**Everlasting tears**_

A/N: This is my third fanfic, named Everlasting tears. what does this mean? Well read to find out. :D It's meant to be a oneshot, but I can continue it if you want. :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Maplestory, all places and NPC's are owned by Nexon. The Characters and plotline is mine. For any names and/or personalities that actually ARE real, this is purely just a coincidence, so don't go hunting for my blood.

Honorable Mentions: My boredom on that fateful Saturday afternoon where the idea of writing a Maplestory fanfic got into my brain. Absol Master; I hope you won't mind about me 'borrowing' your chapter set up (at least the setup for OtDotS)? ^.^'' and Kal Ancalas, whose humor and awesome writing I developed to idolize. Alot more authors, but I'll bore you too much if I listed them all.

_Akiko: Memories_

The Ice Lightning ArchMage sighed, lowering her Dragon Staff. It was such a long time ago, when she first came to this place in search of the lost pendants. But back then, she was a child, a carefree, silly child. She had not been aware of her companion's betrayal until it was too late...

_-Flashback-_

_ "Have you got it?" called Nathan. He looked cautiously side to side, his medium length amber hair tossing slightly in the breeze. His hazel eyes trained upon the enterance, occasionally quickly taking a glance back to see how she was doing._

_ "Almost..." she muttered, digging her arm deeper into the small hole. "Yes! Got it!" she spun around, her jet black hair moving in sync with her. Triamphantly she held up the twin lockets."Let's go."_

_ Nathan nodded silently, and turned around. He held his hand out to help her get up. Together, they ventured through Leafre, until they stopped at the entrance of Minar Forest. Mouthing the signal to go, Nathan drew his Olympus. Akiko lifted her Mystic cane and together they went into the forest._

_ "Are you sure it's here?" Akiko whispered hastily, looking cautiously around."I heard that the monsters here are very high levels!"  
"Yeah, my friend told me that it was around here." Nathan replied. "He said something about a clearing..." he continued to move on, his Blue-Lined Kimset fluttering behind him. Akiko did the same, but she lifted the hem of her calaf slightly while moving. Eventually the two had ventured into a small clearing, with a very noticable large rock in the middle._

_ "Is it this?" Akiko asked, looking at the large rune-covered stone with wonder. When Nathan nodded, she took out the pendants. Walking slower to the rock, she realized that the pendants were glowing, the turquioise and cerulean blue gems sparkling as they got closer to the stone. Once she was close enough to the stone, she realized that there was 2 empty spots, and knowing what to do, she slowly pushed in the pendants in tehir respective places. Immediately after she heard the second click, the ground started shaking. the stone started to transform, a soft blue light enveloping the clearing._

_ "NOW!" someone yelled._

_ "Wh-" Akiko said, whipping around, onyl to realize that her Mystic Cane wasn't with her. Frantically, she scanned the whole area, and as the blue light faded, she could make out the silhouettes of five people. Once the blue light fully disappeared and the usual foggy mist covered the area once more, she saw that one of the five people was Nathan. But he wasn't wearing his armor. Instead, he was wearing a dark black suit, and black sunglasses (even though it was foggy). She could only identfy him by his signture amber hair._

_ "I'm sorry Akiko." was all he said before she blacked out._

_ -End flashback-_

"I shouldn't have trusted him..." she muttered before turning her back on the ancient stone and flipping open her ADC and switching on her reciever. "This is Alpha division leader speaking. No abnormal activities located in Leafre." she said in a clear voice. "Designate all Alpha units into surrounding locations."

"Affirmative." came a soothing female voice."Anything else you need?"

"No." she said bluntly before switching her ADC off. Stowing the device away into a pocket of her Blue Bazura, she moved swiftly along the tree tops. _I'll get you Nathan...Someday._

_Liam: A new leaf_

'EEP!' The blue snail disappeared, leaving its full shell and a few meso behind. Liam pumped his fist into the air in triumph before dashing over to collect his earnings. As he placed the shiny shell into his bag, his eyes caught a movement. Spinning around, he saw a familiar face. "Hey Katie!"

"Oh hey Liam!" Katie said, running over."Um... why are you wearing Bowman equips? I thought you were a-"

"Shhh!" he said hastily, his voice dropping to a whisper."I still am a Crusader, but I decided to take up bowmastery for fun." he said, winking.

"Oh." she whispered back. She fiddled with her Angel wings before adding,"Oh yeah... I made a new guild!"

"Really? Grats!" Liam said. flexing his bow, he took out a arrow from his quiver and called,"Arrow Blow!" a mystical blue energy covered the arrow, and Liam released it to a nearby pig. It let out a howl as it plopped lifelessly to the ground. Hearing one of its species howl, the other pigs got enraged and sped towards the unfortunate bowman. "Oh shit." he cursed as he scrambled up a tree.

"Geez, Liam, even as a bowman you still attract trouble!" she said, laughing. raising her Angel wings, she called,"Poison Fog!" an eerie green mist swept over the ground, covering it in a green haze.

Pigs howled as they inhaled the toxic air and plopped dead. Those who still lived scrambled to try and escape.

"Thanks," he said, restringing his War Bow. "I owe you one." after a while, he popped the arrow back into the quiver and sat down, putting his bow next to him.

"Actually, we're even." she said, creating a small ball of flame and suspending it in mid-air absent-mindedly. Snapping her fingers, she caused the ball of flame to disappear as she turned to look at him."Remember at Minar Forest?"

"Shh! I thought I told you not to talk about that!" he said, running a hand through his brown hair in frustration.

"Oh right. Sorry!" she said, her voice unusually quiet. "Well, do you want to join my guild?" she asked.

"What's it called?" Liam asked, his voice full of curiosity.

"StaticHeaven." she replied.

"Cool name, where did you come up with it?"

"Well," Katie looked around before continuing."I was up around the ClockTower in Ludi, and the name just happened to pop into my head."

"You do know how corny that sounds?" Liam asked, snickering.

"Shut up." she said, pouting. "Still, do you want to join or not?"

"Yeah." he said, still trying desparately NOT to laugh. To try and put himself off cracking off into boundless laughter, he rummaged into his pack, taking out a long string.

"Okay, but what's that? And another thing... Why are you in Henesys Hunting Ground?" she asked, pointing to the long string that her friend was holding.

"It's a string for my bow, dummy. And also, it would seem weird for a beginner bowman to be say: Aqua Road, would it?" he said, rolling his eyes before untying the old string from his bow and attaching the new one. He glanced briefly at Katie; her always golden brown hair whipped around furiously by the now-very-strong wind. She was looking at something, her brown eyes gazing into the distance.

"Whatever. As a new member of my guild, you'll need this." she murmured, still looking into the distance. She took out a golden badge the size of his palm and a miniature computer, along with a reciever. Liam reached out to take the items, and Katie placed then into his palm. "Pin the badge on, and hook the reciever onto your ear." she instructed. Liam did as he was told. "Good." she said, smiling. "Now, I'm heading back to the Clocktower. Cya!"

"Bye!" he said, and he reached out for the bow beside him. Picking it up, he took out an arrow and strung it before releasing it on a nearby blue snail. With a harsh squeal, it sunk into the floor, leaving its meso and a shiny shell behind. _Perfect_, he thought, taking another arrow from his quiver. _Just a few more... OW!_

_Natomi: Tropical breeze_

"Dad, when can I leave Florina Beach?" Natomi asked, flexing her bow. Her long natural brown hair fluttered almost lazily in the tropical breeze.

"I guess you can leave now, since you've spent countless years slaying the beach's monsters." he replied, patting her head. "You ought to see Athena Pierce; it's not everyday that a beginner reaches level forty."

"Will do!" she replied happily. Natomi sped off to the docks, eager to begin her new journey. Once she reached the area where all the boats were, she took the one full of tourists heading back to Victoria Island. Walking up onto the deck, she used a ribbon to tie her hair up. A simple blue bow sat on her lap, and she stroked it as if it was real. She had almost fallen asleep when a boy with jet black hair sat next to her.

"Hi!" he said, holding out his hand. "How are you today?"

"Hi," she replied nervously, taking his hand and shaking it."I'm great, thanks for asking."

"How old are you?" he asked, glancing at her bow."You seem alittle young to be training at Florina Beach."

"I'm eleven, thank you very much." she said alittle crossly. "And I lived at Florina Beach for my whole life until now. My father said that I was level 40, though I have no idea what that means."

"WOAH!" he exclaimed. "You're only ten levels lower than me, and I'm fifteen!"

"Really?" she asked with an air of interest, while absent-mindedly poking her bow with her finger.

"Yeah." he replied. "I'm Aylin by the way."

"Natomi," she said."And uh... Isn't Aylin a girl's name?"

"Tell that to my parents." he replied, sighing before unsheathing his Nine Dragons.

"Cool weapon." she said, pointing at his weapon.

"Thanks," he said."Hmm... You said that you were level forty right?"

"Uh huh," Natomi said, nodding.

"Then you might like this," he murmured, rummaging into his pack before taking out a sleek, shiny Vaulter 2000.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, staring at the bow with awe. "Isn't that the level forty bow?"

"Yeah, I found it while I was hunting. I was planning to sell it, but I guess you could do well with it." Aylin said, passing the bow to Natomi.

"Wow..." she murmured, handling the weapon with great caution. "It's amazing!" she took an arrow from her quiver and strung the bow, before shooting an arrow into the water below. "It works so well too!"

"Consider it a welcoming gift for entering Victoria Island I guess," he said, smiling. "We're here." The two both stood up and walked over to the enterance to Ellinia. "I guess this is good-bye."

"Yeah," she said, still clutching Aylin's gift. "I hope we'll see each other again, and when we do, I'll challenge you to a duel!"

"Hah, then I'd better get training then." he said, laughing. "Cya!"

"Bye!" Natomi said before turning to face the emerald green trees. The breeze felt cool against her skin, and it tossed her hair gently. She savoured the moment; that little ray of sunshine through her dark and mysterious little world that often engulfed her. Sighing, she clutched the Vaulter 2000 tightly and headed towards the taxi. She exhaled sharply as she neared the bottom of the skyscraping city, and walked towards the area where multiple taxis stood. "Hello? I'd like to go to Henesys please." she said in a sweet tone.

"Okay, buckle your seat belt!" the taxi diver said. Natomi nodded, and got into the car. Once she had clicked the seat belt in place, the taxi sped off into the distance. Her surroundings changed from the ever-green trees to a rolling countryside, with an always-cheery atmosphere. Once the car entered the bustling town known as Henesys, he turned to face his passenger. "We're here!" he announced. "That will be 1000 mesos please."

Natomi nodded, and rummaged into her pack for some spare change. eventually she took out a pouch of meso and handed it to the driver. Muttering a word of thanks, she got out of the car and took in a deep breath of the crisp air. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she walked a few steps before realizing that she didn't know where Athena Pierce was. Looking around, she felt someone tap her shoulder gently. Spinning around, she faced a woman with greenish hair and an intricate headpiece. "Are you looking for someone?" she asked.

"Yeah; I'm looking for Athena Pierce, I want to become a bowman." Natomi said.

"Well, you're looking at her." Athena smiled.

Natomi immediately looked up into the woman's green eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry; I'm new to Victoria Island and-"

Athena raised her hand and Natomi immediately stopped. "No need for apologies," she said gently. "I was taking a stroll around Henesys, and I was due back anyway. Follow me to my offiice."

Natomi nodded, and the two set off through the bustling crowds. After walking into the house, Athena gestured towards to a seat and Natomi sat down. Athena also sat down in the chair across the desk. "So you wish to be a bowman?" she asked. When she saw Natomi's shy nod, she said,"But don't you already wield a bow? A pretty strong one, in fact." she motioned towards the Vaulter 2000.

"I was given this by a kind person while I was riding the boat to Ellinia from Florina Beach," Natomi said. Reaching for her pack, she drew out the War Bow. "I was using this before, and before I left for the docks, my father said I was level forty, whatever that means."

Athena raised her eyebrows. "Hmm, then you could first get the first job advancement, then after you are comfortable with your beginner skills you can take the 2nd job advancement." she said after much thought. "Give me your hand," Natomi stretched out her hand and Athena took it in both hands, muttering lines after lines of an ancient spell. After about a minute she finally released her iron grip on the young girl's hand. "There." she declared."Congratulations, you are now a bowman. I think we will be seeing each other soon." Natomi nodded, and set off, skipping slightly as she exited the house.

Racing outside, Natomi ran past the large crowds without as much as a second glance. As she reached the outskirts of the town, she slowed, but she still didn't notice that she had ran into someone. "OW!" the two yelled out at the same time. Natomi rubbed her now-aching head. Glancing at the person she had so prematurely rammed into, she saw a boy with brown hair and unusually blue eyes. When she looked at him, she found that he was gazing at her. "What?" she asked.

The boy snapped out of his daydream. "N-Nothing," he said, and after a moment of hesitation he pointed his finger to her head. "It's just that... You've got such... _Brown_ hair."

Snickering, Natomi said,"You just realized this?" sighing, she walked over and picked up her bow. She then walked back to the boy and held out her hand. "I'm Natomi by the way." she said as she helped him up.

"Thanks." the boy said, picking up his bow as well. "I'm Liam."

A/N: YAYAYAY my third fanfic :D

Note: yeah; Florina beach shouldn't be accessible from Ellinia, but it's my fanfic, and that's that.

Review please! And a quick sentence like "OMG UR WRITING SUX" etc, would not count. I can continue it if you want.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Everlasting Tears**_

A/N: I've decided to continue it because I really liked the plotline I set for the story. Enjoy, but don't forget to review! Everything counts! It's slightly longer than the last chapter too :D

And Don't expect super fast updates either.

Btw: before you ask: here's some stuff you need to know:

ADC: Alpha Division Communicator (Built for Magicians)

BDC: Bravo Division Communicator (Built for Theives)

CDC: Charlie Division Communicator (Built for Bowmen)

DDC: Delta Division Communicator (Built for Warriors)

EDC: Echo Division Communicator (Built for Pirates)

Disclaimer: I don't own Maplestory; Nexon does. Blah blah blah; you get the picture.

**Previous Review(s):**

Starmint: Haha, yeah, I laughed too when the idea first popped into my head. As you can see below; it won't be a one-shot anymore. And at your second comment: I DID realize that I needed to put the title in, but I deemed it unfit for the current content. And I will be putting more detail into the characters in this chapter, but if it STILL doesn't clear things up, Nathan is a GM that betrayed Akiko, using her to find the legendary pendants and unlock their true power then calling a small team of GMs to ambush. That bastard.(Still, he's a product of my imagination) To end this reply of a review, I give you my final word; Bleh. 8D

* * *

_Akiko: Meeting_

Akiko moved swiftly through the treetops, her Cloak of Corruption flapping in the wind. Leaping through treetop to treetop, she thought about her lonely journey; until she had found Lightreign on that fateful day. She could still clearly remember the day she had faced Nathan in the battle, and how she made that silly mistake of thinking she could defeat a GM. But what had dumbfounded her the most was the fact that Nathan was a GM. The cute (She had to admit it, he _was_ cute), nervous amber haired boy she always won against in Omok single handedly defeated her in that fight, and if his words were true, that was only a part of his full power.

Sighing, Akiko sped into the town of Leafre, and avoided the general foggy clearing, which was full of Hermits looking for leech, and she could always be easily mistaken for one. Walking unusually slowly between the lush green trees which were unlike Ellinia's with a passionate uniqueness, Akiko soon found the spot she had been looking for. A smooth, flat stone which was as ordinary-looking as any other stone, this stone had a distinctive pattern carved into it. At first glance people would've thought nothing of it, thinking that it was probably some shadower that happened to go on crack, seeing as the pattern had numerous intricate carvings in it. Heck, if Akiko hadn't been told that it was the teleporting ward, she would've thought the same.

Laying her hand onto the cold stone, Akiko murmured a soft incantation that was as quiet as a small leaf rustle in the wind. After she finished the spell, the stone glowed a familiar shade of turquiose before almost blinding the person it was teleporting.

Scowling as she rubbed her eyes, Akiko muttered,"Seriously, the next time that teleporter does that, I'm going to electricute it to the point of it never being used again!" Walking along the hall with long strides, she arrived at the elevator in less than 10 seconds. Akiko held out her ADC and allowed it to be scanned. The screen flashed green, and the golden doors slid open without another sound. However, before they could close, a boy quickly dashed in. Panting slightly, the boy scowled and flicked his head in a careless manner, causing the stray brown hairs that had been irritating him to fly back.

"Ugh, those idiots don't even recognise their division leader!" he said angrily, adjusting his claw absentmindedly and popping a steely back into its pouch.

"At least you didn't get blinded by a searing teleporting light, Michael," Akiko said almost coldly, glancing up at the ceiling.

"As a matter of fact; I DID get blinded by that stupid flash: I swear I'm gonna dissassemble it the next time it does that!" he cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"Join the club." Akiko said with a tint of amusement in her usually stony voice. "Anything new in the Bravo Division?"

Michael shook his head. "Other than the fact that our BDC's have broke AGAIN."

"Seriously, what do you thieves do with them? I've fixed way too many to count." Akiko muttered, glaring at the screen. _Is it me, or is the elevator moving a hell more slowly than usual?_ she shook her head lightly. _Nah, I'm probably getting impatient._

Michael laughed lightly, a dry, echoeing laugh that rebounded around the small lift. "It's been a while since you last cracked a joke, Akki."

Akiko's face hardened. "Don't call me that."

Michael raised his eyebrows. "Geez, you're a freaking prodigy, having mastered the elements WAY earlier than any other mage, including Grendel himself, not to mention creating countless ways to use electricity, yet you still can't handle a stupid nickname?" Michael asked, throwing his arms up in defeat. "I give up!"

Akiko softened almost immediately. "Sorry," she muttered sheepishly. "It's just that _he_ always called me that." she murmured, suddenly immersing herself into a patch of carpet that had been as uninteresting as watching two snails race a few seconds ago.

"Oh." the Night Lord sighed heavily. "Well, you could've said it alittle earlier."

Akiko merely shrugged. The elevator made a soft chiming sound to indicate that they had reached their designated level. Akiko snapped her head up just in time to see her old teammate, who was none other than her best vice captain, Samantha. Akiko waved briefly as she strode past, her destination for the meeting hall. Michael also followed, and used haste to speed up their pace. In no time at all, they reached the polished wooden door, carved from the Maple tree. Swinging it open, Akiko and Michael entered and took their allotted places in order of divisions; Akiko in front and Michael straight behind.

"Captains Minimashi and Carea, you are very almost late," the guildmaster muttered, stretching. "Care to explain why?"

"My division didn't even RECOGNIZE me, so they held me up until they finally realized that it was their captain." Michael said, sighing. "I'm going to have a chat to them soon."

The guildmaster nodded."What about you, Minimashi?"

"I had a group of guests block my path for about half an hour." Akiko muttered in a placid tone. "Thats the last time I'm ever using the reception enterance."

"Ah, never mind, you are excused." the guildmaster sighed, lowering his hands. "Anything new to add?"

"Nothing much, other than the fact that we seriously need to update our teleporting methods." Akiko said. "That flash really irritates me." with this comment, numerous nods of agreement went along the table.

"Okay, I will see to that." the guildmaster said, scribbling it down on a piece of paper that just happened to be next to him. "Anything else?"

Akiko shook her head. "Nothing else."

"Very well." the guildmaster stood up. "You are dismissed." numerous sounds of chairs making grating sounds against the floor as the captains of their divisions headed towards the exit.

"I really don't see the point of us being called 'captains' and having 'divisions' according to our classes, it just seems so weird," Michael muttered under his breath as he walked down the hall. "Seriously, it's just _stupid _!"

"Well, the other Jr. Masters and the Guildmaster agreed to it, mostly due to the fact that they deemed it 'neccessary' ever since that attack on one of our minor bases totally razed it, including half of our supplies," Akiko answered dully.

"I guess," the Night Lord stopped abruptly at the enterance of his division area. "Cya later."

"Yeah, bye," Akiko replied, and both waved as they went their different ways. _Ugh, why is the magician's division so far away from the meeting hall? Ack, screw this.... _Akiko took out her staff and muttered quietly,"Teleport!" before disappearing in a soft blue light and reappearing about half a kilometre away. Satisfied, she stowed her staff away and opened the door.

Immediately a young magician scurried up to her and said,"Hello Miss Minimashi! Welcome back!" Akiko allowed the young magician to take her cape and hang it on a nearby rack, but she kept a firm grip to her staff.

"Anything new, Annelise?" she asked in a warmer tone, compared to her usual, piercingly cold voice. "Other than another load of BDC's from the Bravo (Theif) Division, anything intersting for a change?" she couldn't help but smile at her slightly lame attempt at humor. When she was happy, anyone couldn't help but agree that she was more beautiful that way, compared to her usual cold attitude.

Annelise smiled back. "Oh, we got another bunch of scrolls from the Sheranian town, aaanddd...." she dug into the pocket of her starry black Split for a while before taking out a small scroll tied with a crimson colored ribbon.. "This came for you." Akiko took the scroll and murmured a quick thanks before heading back to her office. "Any specific orders Miss Minimashi?" she called after Akiko.

Akiko turned around, and her expression softened. "No, you guys have been working very hard, you deserve a break." she smiled breifly before retreating back into the safety of her little space. Sighing as she sunk into her chair, Akiko lightly drummed her fingers on the table before remembering the letter. Facepalming as she remembered that she left it on the desk next to her staff rack. _But I'm already so comfortable!_ Akiko raised her hand and muttered a small enchantment and soon the scroll appeared in front of her. Smiling to herself, Akiko carefully untied the ribbon and unrolled the scroll to reveal its contents.

* * *

_Liam: Meeting Natomi_

_Say something, SAY SOMETHING NOW!!_ "It's just that...... Your hair is so BROWN." Liam stared at her for a while. _Ugh, out of all things you say that her HAIR IS BROWN???_

"You just realized?" Natomi giggled before standing up and getting her bow. Liam felt his cheeks go red. He just remained silent. "I'm Natomi by the way." she held out her hand.

"Liam." he took Natomi's hand, and she pulled him up before shaking his hand. Liam let go and walked over to his bow before picking it up. "So why are you in Henesys Hunting ground? Shouldn't you be in Ludi or Aqua road?"

Natomi raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you know of those places?"

_IDIOT! A level 15 bowman shouldn't know about higher level places! _"Uh, I heard from a friend." Liam improvised.

"Well, I'm here because I was a level 40 beginner, so became a bowman, and before I become a hunter, it'll be better because I would know the basics." she murmured, fingering her bow. The breeze intensified for a short time, whipping her hair breifly in the wind. Natomi scowled before producing a hair tie and tying her hair into a ponytail.

"Wow." Liam started gazing at Natomi again.

"What?" She laughed. "Don't tell me you've fallen for me!"

Liam turned another shade of bright red. "N-no!" he managed to splutter.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked it! R&R please!


	3. Chapter 3

**Everlasting tears**

A/N: Hey! It's me (again). Enjoy this update, and R&R!

Disclaimer: In no way do I own Maplestory. Nexon does.

_Akiko: Gone_

Meanwhile, Annelise still stood awkwardly at where her division leader had been so nice to her just a few seconds ago. Samantha walked up to her and tapped her shoulder gently. "Anything wrong?" she asked in a soft voice. Watching Annelise shake her head, she laughed softly before patting her back and said,"Then why don't you go back to work?"

Annelise perked up and muttered a quick apology and turned towards the translating area before remembering to ask her senior a question. "Miss Amilia, was Miss Minimashi always so..." she trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Cold?" Samantha finished fo her. When Annelise nodded, she sighed. "No, not always. She was always cheerful, way nicer than that little act of kindness just then. Until..." she closed her eyes as the memories came flooding back. Shaking her head slightly, she patted the young cleric-to-be on the head and said,"Not now. You can continue translating the scrolls, I heard from your 'boyfriend' that they're almost finished." she gave a mischevious grin.

"Miss Amilia!" Annelise pouted before laughing. Samantha laughed too, before coming back to her senses.

"Ah," Samantha wiped a tear from the corner of her eye."Shouldn't you be going?"

"Oh, yes!" Annelise panicked before spinning on her heels and walked quickly towards her area. Samantha took out her Elemental wand and stroked it absentmindedly before remembering she had a division to assist.

Akiko scanned the scroll, each word dealing a mental stab to her heart. Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she continued to read the letter. After a small puddle of tears had formed on her desk, she waved her hand over it and caused the warm liquid to freeze. Lifting the disc of ice into the air, Akiko clenched her fist and it broke into at least a million tiny glittering shards. They sparkled before starting to fall gracefully through the air. Placing the scroll down, she glared at it, reading it again.

_Dear Akki,_

_ I know I shouldn't be even talking to you, I mean, I know you're still mad, you never seemed to let small things go, so naturally at something as big as that, you would carry the burden to your grave. No offense intended._

_ First things first: Yes, I am a GM. I was one before I met you, heck, before you were born. And naturally, as a GM, I am immortal. I never intended to do what happened that day, but destiny made it's desicion. I had to do it; it was my duty, my job. I'm sorry, Akiniko._

_ I truly hope that your guild's plans will not interfere with our duty, though I know that our goals are the same, we just have different approaches. Unfortunately, my thickheaded superiors still do not realize this. Still, not the point. I am warning you; if you happen to cross our, or rather, my superior's path, they will not hesitate to kill you or any of your friends. I hope that Samantha is still doing well._

_Yours Truly,_

_ Naths_

_Dammit!_ She slammed her fists down onto the desk, causing a pot of ink to topple over, spilling jet black ink all over the table. Muttering something along the lines of 'Freaking hell', Akiko took out a small Metal wand. Waving it around, she silphoned the ink back into its pot before drawing a fresh sheet of paper and taking out one of her favorite quills. Scribbling a hasty note to Michael and making a mental note to whack him too (due to the latest amount of BDC's sent in), she stood up and walked over to the door, not bothering to take her Dragon Staff. Upon opening the door, she came face to uh, top of head with Annelise. "You wanted something?" Akiko found herself whispering.

Annelise looked up. "Oh, s-sorry Miss Minimashi! I just wanted to give something to you t-thats all..." she pushed a small object into Akiko's palm before jumping out of her captain's way, her long, dead straight hair flying everywhere.

"It's alright," she said lightly. "I just need to deliver something, that's all." Seeing Annelise nod some-what guiltily, Akiko patted her back before opening the door leading towards the division junction. She folded the piece of paper in half while she was walking down the hall, and found herself folding a small paper crane. She lifted the wings slightly apart, satisfied with her small creation. Knocking the Bravo Division's main door, Akiko waited a little while until the door opened. A rather tall boy clad in the level fifty armor and wielding a shinkita appeared.

"What do you want?" he asked in a harsh tone, before glancing down and noticing that he was facing a superior. Muttering a quick apology while bowing his head, Akiko noticed someone look over the bandit's shoulder.

"Dammit Rick, I told you to be more nicer!" Michael said alittle crossly, before facing her. "Hey Akiko, what brings you to Bradiots*?" he asked, pretending to give Rick a smack on the back of the head.

"I needed to deliver a message to you," Akiko said, smiling at Michael's slightly mean style of humor. She held out the paper crane. It was cradled against her palm, with intricate patterns resulting from the paper on the tips of the crane's wings.

Both boys widened their eyes at the miniature bird. After what seemed like an eternity, Michael cleared his throat. "That's an awesome paper crane, Akiko, but where's the message?" he asked.

Akiko rolled her eyes before putting the crane into his hand. "Thats it, dummy," she half-said, half-laughed. "Sorry, I got alittle bored walking along the hall, and to prevent myself freezing the whole building I had to occupy myself with something. Oh yeah.." she raised her hand to whack Michael's head. "That's for the amount of BDC's you sent over to the Alpha division, and for your slow thinking."

"Owwwww..." Michael pouted, making himself look ALOT like a twelve year old after being refused access to candy. Akiko laughed softly before glancing down. "Hey," he said, raising her chin in an attempt to make her look at him, but he failed, seeing as she just glanced sideways. "Don't worry, you can have all the revenge you want AFTER this war is done." All Akiko did was nod.

_Boom._

"What was that?" she asked, immediately snapping up as yells echoed down the hall. "Grab onto me." she ordered. Seeing the determination in the young teenager's eyes forced Michael to clutch onto her arm, and she snapped her fingers and commanded,"Teleport!" they dissapeared back to the Alpha division area. Screams sent shivers up Akiko's spine, she broke Michael's hold and ran, pushing open the door as she did so. An abrupt shout of 'SHIT!' did not encourage him to just stand there idly, so he ran in after her.

Numerous magicians were running around retardedly, screaming their lungs out, but a few that still had brains decided to stand and fight. They were casting every spell they knew at the gigantic swarm of Crimson Balrogs. Akiko was nearby, clutching her staff and hammering away with sharp shards of ice. "Cold beam!" she commanded, and a nearby Crimson balrog that was aiming to decapitate the archmage got frozen solid. "Thunderbolt!" Akiko sliced her dragon staff through the air, causing a shockwave of yellow electricity to fling into the block of suspended ice with the crimson balrog trapped inside. Upon impact, the ice shattered into at least a billion tiny pieces. Akiko heard another scream and she spun around.

"LET ME GO!" Annelise yelled at the top of her lungs, desparately trying to reach her wizard staff. When she finally got a firm grip on it, she swung it around and called,"Magic Claw!" two streaks of blue energy shot out of her wand and raked themselves across the crimson balrog's body, but it ddn't falter.

"ANNELISE!" Akiko screamed. _No... I won't let another person die!_ "Blizzard!" she yelled, directing her staff to the balrog that had Annelise. It yelled in shock as at least ten spiky shards of freezing ice dug into it's back, and with a yell it dropped the young magician. The other crimson balrogs turned to face Akiko. _Shit..._ She thought as she saw that they had glints in their eyes. She quickly ran through her options. If she ran, she would be abandoning her comrades, and that's pathetic. Fighting alone would probably result in her death, and letting people risk their lives to save her would be stupid and uneccessary. But if she teleported everyone to the other divisions, she and Michael could stand a chance with a bigger ground. She spun around to face Michael. "Michael, do you have any space in your division for about two hundred magicians?" she asked quickly.

Michael shook his head. "No, but I think that the Charlie (Bowman) Division has most of their units out on patrols. You could teleport them there."

Akiko nodded, and then shouted,"Every magician that cannot teleport, partner up with a magician that can. Everyone teleport to the Charlie division." Numerous shouts of disagreement came fromt he magicians. Akiko shook her head."I don't care if you want to stay and fight; this is an ORDER. This is for your own survival!" defeated, most of the magicians teleported with a companion. Everyone except for Samantha left. "You too, Sam."

Samantha shook her head angrily. "It's my job to make sure that you don't get hurt!" she pleaded.

Akiko sighed. "Fine, but take care of yourself first." she said, shifting her arcana crown back into place. "Blizzard!" she called once more, and more shards of ice rained down and dug themselves into the crimson balrogs. Five of them screeched in pain and fell to their death below. _Five gone, Five left to go._ Holding the staff in front of her, Akiko held out her other hand to cradle the black gem at the tip of the staff.

Michael watched as Akiko went into deep concentration. Loading three Illbi's into his claw, Michael also took out a small stone from his pocket; a summoning stone. He muttered,"Shadow partner!" and felt the familiar rush of his shadow forming behind him. He pointed his claw at a crimson balrog and yelled,"Triple throw!" Three Illbi's and three shadow Illbi's flew through the air in a flash, and dug themselves deeply into the balrog's flesh. Realizing that it's life won't last much longer, it yelled out something in a harsh tongue that no human could possible translate unless if they were half-blarog, and a dark mist enveloped the area. A shriek of pain came from somewhere, Michael identified it as Akiko's, but his vision was obscured by the darkness.

Once the fog cleared, Michael struggled to stand up. Once he managed to balance himself, he looked around to see Samantha on the floor, her blonde hair sprawled everywhere. Michael ran, or at least attempted to run towards Samantha. "Where's Akiko?" he asked the Fire Poison Mage.

"DAMMIT!" Samantha yelled, and dug her face into her knees. "I should have protected her..." she spluttered inbetween choking sobs. Michael found himself kneeling next to her and patting her back, muttering words of comfort. A few moment's later, the door burst open and Celina burst in, her Fairfrozen slung along her back.

"What the hell happened?" she asked, looking down at the captain of Bravo division comforting the vice of Alpha (magician)division.

"Akiko's missing," he told the captain of Delta division. "Alpha division was raided by crimson balrogs." looking at Celina's questioning face, he added,"Akiko sent all the other magicians to Charlie division."

"Oh." Celina muttered. Looking around, she said,"We better repair the damage, and we also have to alert the guildmaster." she turned to the now-sniffling Sam. "Get the other magicians back to Alpha division, and assit them in rebuilding. I'll alert the Charlie division, and you better alert the Bravo division too." she instructed. Sam nodded and flipped open her ADC. Michael also opened his BDC and tapped a few keys before switching on his headset and muttering words into it. He quickly unhooked the headset off his ear as a loud voice rang into the room.

"WHAT?" the guildmaster's voice yelled. "Ugh: Dammit."

"What should we do, Guildmaster?" asked Celina, twirling her fairfrozen absentmindedly.

"I guess we'll have to pin-point the location of Minimashi first." the headset turned off.

_Natomi: Exploring_

"N-no!" Liam spluttered, turning a bright red. Natomi giggled.

"Hmmm... How old are you?" she asked, tilting her head like the curious 11-year-old she was.

"Fourteen, why?" Liam tilted his head the same way in a mocking gesture.

"Did you start late or something?" she raised her hand to air-smack Liam.

He pretended to rub his head in pain. "Yeah," he answered._ Ah, if she was only to see my weapons..._

"Then why do you have a Blue Screamer in your pack?" she asked, pointing to the huge blue sword poking out of his pack.

"Um this? I'm carrying it for a friend," he answered nervously.

"Cool." Natomi flexed her bow. "Well, I guess I'll see you later."

"Sure." Liam nodded and walked back towards the bustling city known as Henesys.

Natomi took out her skills book that Athena had given her. It wasn't very thick, it was around the size of one of her thinner novels she used to read back home. Flipping over the yellowing pages, she saw the contents. _Arrow Blow_ was on the contents amongst Amazon's Blessing and Critical hit, but there was one number at the end that didn't have a assigned name. Flipping to the assigned page, she scanned the page quickly. _Close your eyes and concentrate._


	4. Chapter 4

**Everlasting Tears**

**A/N: And I'm back, with the last update. Enjoy!**

**BTW: PDA's are used for normal guilds, unlike Akiko's guild, who are wealthy enough to produce their own communicators.**

_Liam: Under the tree_

_That... was too close._ Liam thought to himself as he took his precious Blue Screamer out of his pack. "It was a friend's... Heh! I better save that for next time!" he muttered, chuckling. The brown-haired boy took out a cleaning rag and started to polish the sword. Not so long after though, when his PDA started vibrating. He sighed before turning the reciever on. "Hello?" he asked, leaning against the tree he was sitting near. "Liam here."

"DOOD!" The loud voice in the headset made Liam jump in surprise.

"What's with you man?" Liam asked, whacking his ear to make sure that he wasn't deaf from the loud voice. "You never were that loud."

"AH WELL, TIMES CHANGE AND PIGS TURN PUURRRPLE~!" the voice continued.

"Whatever. What's up Matt?" Liam asked, unhooking the reciever from his ear and holding it away from him.

"KAY-TEE* WANTS TO SEE YA~!" Matt said.

"Okay, anything else?"

"NOP-"

_Click._ Liam snapped the PDA shut. Matt may be one of his best mates, but sometimes enough was enough. Standing up, he pushed his precious weapon back into his pack before heading towards the nearest dimensional mirror.

The mirror itself wasn't a mirror at all, more of a portal that connects a location with different locations. The frame was made of some kind of metal, and in the place where the door should be, a swirling mass with different shades of gray was there. A small yellow post-it note was on the side of the frame was next to a small built in rotating wheel. Liam glanced at the post-it note. It was rather small and tattered, but amazingly it still stuck there. _Talk about a stubborn post-it note._ Liam grinned. The writing on it was almost un-readable. It was a mass of curls and half faded, but Liam thankfully was able to read it. Hence** the _'almost'_ part. "Select where you wish to go using the wheel." it read. Liam used his finger to rotate the wheel, allowing it to stop at the Sky Park*** picture. Soon after the selecting wheel disappeared and the swirling mass of gray started humming, signalling that he could go in. He stepped into the vortex.

_Michael: Skyscrapers_

The theif leapt from branch to branch, lifting off as soon as his feet touched the wood of the trees. His brown hair almost moved in sync with him, bouncing up and down, never losing pace. _Just like a perfectionist,_ he sighed. He already knew that his size didn't really support his personality, for being the tallest in the Bravo division never helps when you're commonly seeked out for issues that just keep on coming.

He had to move fast. The guild master had warned all division leaders to stay alert after Akiko's abduction, and staying in one location didn't really help. He felt the wind in his hair, the breeze somewhat reassuring him that everything would be okay. But it didn't change the fact that someone- or some_thing_ was hunting Lightreign down. And he would be dead before that happened.

He heard a rustle in the trees. Immediately he jumped off the tree branch to the ground. Taking three illbi's in one hand and a blue summoning rock in the other, he traced a symbol before the summoning rock disintergrated and a warm, fuzzy feeling grew across his back, alerting him that his shadow partner had been formed. He walked normally along the road that had been formed by the goddess eons ago, ignoring all the awe-struck stares that dug into his shadow partner from random low levels.

Once he was sure that no-one was following him he flash-jumped up back to another high tree-branch before heading back to the direction he was heading.

Bang.

*If you say KAY-TEE out loud, it would sound like Katie. XD

**ROFLMAO Inside joke, sowwies xD

***Said place does not exist :DD

**A/N: Mhm. It was one third of what I wanted it to be. I couldn't get it right anyway. Say farewell to updating for this story! It is officially declared, DISCONTINUED. PM me if you wish to take over this story and I'll give you the original plot. ^^ Although, chances are that in a year's time I'll want to revive it. So stay tuned!**


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